Carpet-stretcher.



No. 723,924; PATENTED MAR. 31, 1903.

J. A. SANDY.

CARPET STRETGHER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1902. N0 MODEL.

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UNITE STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. SANDY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

C-ARPET-STRETCHERt SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,924, dated March 31, 1903. Application filed A ril 28, 1902. Serial No. 104,924. (no made.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. SANDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minueapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carpet-Stretchers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a carpet-stretcherof improved construction; and to this end it consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claim.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, illustrating the action of the carpet-stretcher. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig.1,butshowingthe carpet-stretcher in a different position. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 2, some parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the complete carpet stretcher, shown on a larger scale than in Figs. 1, 2, and'3;.and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the carpet-stretcher, some parts being sectioned.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the numeral 1 indicates a portion of a floor, and the numeral 2 a portion of the wall, of a building.

The numeral 3 indicates the carpet which is to be laid on the floor 1.

The numeral 4 indicates tacks.

The carpet-stretcher in its preferred form is constructed as follows: The character a indicates a base-piece or foot, preferably of wood and provided at its under surface with a plurality of projecting anchoring brads or points a, afiorded by screws, which are screwed through the said base from its top and have their projecting ends sharpened. At its forward end the base or foot 0. is beveled and has secured thereto, by means of suitable screws or otherwise, a toothed or serrated metal plate'b. Alever f is pivoted to the base or foot (1-, as shown, within. a recess a by means of a pivot pin or rod f, passed through the said base.

At its free end the lever f is provided with a transversely-ex tended head f which on its outer surface is formed with small projections, affording a roughened surface f which is adapted to catch upon the carpet,as hereinafter specified. The lever f is adapted to be turned rearward, as indicated by full lines in Figs. 4 and 5 and by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2; but its forward movement is limited to an approximately vertical position by a metal stop g, shown as secured to the face of the basepiece or foot a.

The manner of using the carpet-stretcher will'be substantially as follows: The carpet will of course first be tacked at one edge and stretched toward its opposite edge. This stretching is accomplished by placing the stretcher under the loose edge of the carpet, as indicated in Fig. 1, and then by the hand gripping the loose edge of the carpet onto the roughened surface of the head f of the stretching-lever f, while the said lever is raised nearly or quite to a vertical position or, if desired, only to the approximate elevation shown in Fig. 1. The base or foot a will of course be held against slipping or, in other words, anchored to thefloor by its projecting brads or points a. Hence when the loose edge of the carpet is applied to the free end of the lever f, as stated, and is pressed downward it will be drawn toward the wall 2 and will be stretched under a powerful leverage action. By this operation the carpet will be stretched within a short distance of the wall and can then be secured by driving in an occasional tack or, if desired, by a person standing thereon, although the former operation is advisable. The carpet then being stretched and secured up to a distance, say, within one foot of the wall, the completion of its stretching is accomplished by placing the stretcher on top of the carpet, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 3, and using the leverf as a handpiece. If the lever f be turned upward and forward against the stop 'g,-it should bedirectly engaged by the hand; but if turned downward into the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2 its head f should be taken hold of. In either case, however, the teeth of the plate b, as well as the points or ICO device of the above character I have found that I can stretch a carpet, if desired, to the very limit of its tensile strength. Furthermore, the device is'ot small cost and is durable.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows: In a carpet-stretcher, the combination with the base at having the anchoring-brads co,-

and toothed plate I), of the leverfpivoted to said base a atf and provided at its free end with the head f and the stop g on said base a for limiting the forward movement of said level-f, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. SANDY.

Witnesses:

ELIZABETH KELIIIER, F. D. MERCHANT. 

